RS

MEMBER DIARY

Telling Truth from Lies

Truth is funny. You can beat on it, cross-examine it, and it always shines true.

Like gold. It doesn’t corrode or otherwise degrade.

It is extremely durable.

LIES

Lies are different. They hold up to casual inspection. But upon deeper inspection, a lie raises one or more questions that cannot be answered satisfactorily. That is the hallmark of a lie.

Take Obama’s health care proposal, all 2,700 pages. Do you have any questions about this bill that have not been answered satisfactorily?

A lie is delicate and not durable. That is, it fails in not holding up 100-percent to close inspection.

SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO DISTINGUISH TRUTH FROM LIES FROM IGNORANCE

You might not have enough information. Or your trust in a certain person might keep you from seeing his or her lies. Or from seeing ignorance. That’s why an objective, outside opinion is sometimes really helpful. That’s also why getting information from a wide variety of sources is important.

Actual Example: Talked recently by phone with a law professor who is supposedly expert in a part of the law with which I’m quite familiar. I saw right off he was a blithering idiot. His students almost certainly can’t see this. Nor can his fellow faculty members, who are allegedly expert in other parts of the law.

EXAMPLES: TRUTH, LIES, AND IGNORANCE

Example 1:Jimmy Carter was a good President, I honestly believe.

I call this ignorance. An un-truth uttered without any apparent malice.

Example 2: Barack Obama is doing the best he can for America.

I call this a lie. The assertion is clearly and provably false. The speaker is a deliberate liar.

Example 3: The law is designed to be fair to everyone.

Ignorance at best, a lie at worst.

Example 4: I don’t recall saying that (said under oath).

May be true, may be a lie. Count how many times the witness says this.

Example 5: We need to bail out the banks to avoid disaster.

Why? …I’m still listening.

No satisfactory answer. A certifiable lie. The lefty economists, in particular, know it’s a lie.

THE USE OF LIES AS PROPAGANDA

Beginning in the 1930s, powerful and evil persons in the U.S. came to understand they could manipulate the populace through radio, film, and other means of mass communication.

FDR, in particular, came to understand that he could, through mere words, deceive the American People in a major way. Just as Hitler was doing to the German People in a more criminal way.

Subsequent presidents took FDR’s lesson to heart. Especially Obama. Even many on the Left now call him a liar. It’s really quite amusing to watch.

A huge lie machine exists today to distract, deceive, and subdue the American People. That machine is aimed squarely at YOU.

Remember: If a tale being peddled to YOU raises even just one question that cannot be answered satisfactorily, it’s a lie.

SATISFACTORY vs. UNSATISFACTORY ANSWERS

What is a satisfactory answer? A few examples:

Example #1: The CBO scored this bill as costing $1 trillion.

I’ll take this as satisfactory, conditionally.

On the other hand, if I learn CBO has faked the numbers even just once, I’ll take this answer to be unsatisfactory.

If in the political arena you encounter a tale, question it, and receive an unsatisfactory answer — and if there is no satisfactory answer to replace the unsatisfactory answer — you’ve encountered either a lie or ignorance.

The more knowledgeable the peddler of the tale, the more likely it’s a lie.

HARMLESS LIES

Some lies, of course, are quite harmless. My ex-wife, for example, used to ask me if I thought she had gained weight. I always said no.

NECESSARY LIES

Sometimes, it’s necessary to lie. For example, if you’re involved in acquiring military intelligence information from a third person, you must lie about certain things. These lies must be deeply concealed.